It takes guts to get onstage in front of more than a thousand people, parade around in outdated clothes and sing “shoo-bop-shoo-wadda-wadda-yippity-boom-de-boom.” But nearly 50 University students will do just that this weekend, not once, but three times, for this year’s Illini Union Board musical “Grease.”

“Grease” will be performed at the Assembly Hall during this weekend’s Mom’s Weekend at 7:30 p.m. tonight, and 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 8.

“Grease” tells the story of Danny and Sandy, two high school kids who have a whirlwind summer romance then unexpectedly end up going to the same high school, Rydell High, where their friends and reputations put a strain on their relationship.

“While it’s based in 1959, it has stories everyone can relate to,” said director Whitney Hutchinson, a senior in LAS. “The storyline (is) about couples trying to understand each other, and friends getting to understand friendships, relationships, coming of age and understanding sexuality.” The show is fast-paced and funny, which makes it a great Mom’s Weekend activity, she said.

“The music is awesome, and we have such an amazing cast,” said Steven Jacobson, a senior in ALS who plays Kenicki, one of the Burger Palace Boys.

“It has a lot of the great things that make people fall in love with the movie,” he said.

Producer Dan Newman, a sophomore in Communications said, however, that just because one may have seen the movie, does not mean he or she has really seen “Grease.”

“If you’ve only seen the movie, you’re only getting a part of the story,” Newman said. “The movie focuses so much on the Danny/Sandy relationship that few people remember that there are actually five Pink Ladies and five Burger Palace Boys, each with their own personality and stories.”

There are other differences, such as the T-Birds, as they are dubbed in the film, being called Burger Palace Boys. Newman also said there are new songs to fall in love with.

Just because the musical is different than the movie, does not mean cast members did not draw inspiration from the 1978 film. Jacobson said his favorite song in the show is “Grease Lightning,” partly influenced by John Travolta’s performance.

“I grew up as a huge Travolta fan and getting the opportunity to sing that song is really fun and exciting,” Jacobson said. “Plus it’s the only number with all the guys in the cast, and that always makes for a fun and exciting number that the girls can cheer for and enjoy.”

But even if one has seen “Grease” in the theater, this performance has a unique flavor because of the people in it, Newman said.

“Our cast has been working exceptionally hard and really have transformed themselves into their characters,” he said.

Assistant stage manager Amanda Jablonsky, a sophomore in LAS, said she especially enjoys the chemistry between Jeannie Klisiewicz and Jake Szczepaniak as they play Jan and Roger.

“They’re both wonderful and funny alone, but when you put them together there’s this perfect stage chemistry, and hilarity inevitably ensues,” Jablonsky said. “They play off each other very well onstage as that awkward sort of couple that’s not yet in their comfort zone.”

For the cast and crew, one weekend represents months of hard work and hours of practice. Jackie Ware-Sodsod, program advisor for IUB Musicals, said the best part of her job as a staff member is to watch the process from its conception to final curtain.

“It’s really cool to see how we go from interviewing a staff, to sitting through auditions and seeing, essentially, a group of strangers come together to make a great production,” she said.

For this particular show, closing will be almost like graduating from high school all over again, Newman said. During production the cast and crew held a mock-prom, created clubs and held a “Rydell Idol” contest.

“After we complete the run of the show, we’ll be putting together a ‘yearbook’ photo album so that everyone has a keepsake from the show,” Newman said. To him, the experience that the cast has with the show is just as important as the experience of the audience.

As much as the crew tried to make the cast feel comfortable and run things smoothly, some cast members still have jitters until the final curtain comes down. Lead actor Alex Howe, a senior in Engineering who plays Danny Zuko, said his biggest fear is that he will not make it to the show.

“I just don’t want to get sick or injured before the show and let everybody down,” Howe said.

Apparently his fear is not an irrational one either. Hutchinson’s worries that someone literally will break his or her leg – the IUB musical has a record of pre-show injuries, she said.

“In “Fiddler on the Roof” one of the girls tripped outside of a bookstore,” Hutchinson said. “And last year someone hurt herself playing soccer.”

Everything seems fine so far but she’s keeping her fingers crossed, she said.

One positive tradition Hutchinson hopes to continue from past shows is the discreet placement of an unusual prop onstage throughout the entire show.

“There’s a pineapple hidden the whole time,” Hutchinson said. “It is now our set decorator’s signature. She has one hidden onstage because it’s been in the past couple shows.”

Ticket prices for “Grease” range from $11-15 and are available at the Assembly Hall box office or Ticket Central in the Illini Union. More information is available online at http://www.uofiassemblyhall.com. Availability permitting, tickets may be purchased at the door.